Essentials: Cold & Heat Exposure for Metabolic Health | Dr. Susanna Søberg
Andrew Huberman talks with Dr. Susanna Søberg about how cold and heat exposure activate brown fat and improve metabolism, and why short, varied exposures that end on cold may be enough.
The gist
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Søberg says cold should feel uncomfortable enough to trigger a cold shock, such as faster breathing, and that you should not enjoy it.
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Søberg cites a study where sleeping at 19° Celsius for one month grew brown fat and improved insulin sensitivity, while warmer rooms reduced it.
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In Søberg's study, winter swimmers had better insulin sensitivity, produced less insulin, and cleared blood glucose faster than a matched control group.
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Søberg's study points to about 11 minutes of cold water and 57 minutes of sauna per week, split across two to three days.
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Søberg recommends ending on cold so your body must rewarm itself, and says changing temperatures matters more than exact water temperature.
"Or if you don't want to be like in this awake state, then you can also just sleep in the cold and you won't notice it that much maybe, but studies have shown that if you sleep in 19° Celsius, then you will activate your brown fat and you will grow your brown fat."
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"Or if you don't want to be like in this awake state, then you can also just sleep in the cold and you won't notice it that much maybe, but studies have shown that if you sleep i..."
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